A Life Less Ordinary
by Shadow496
Summary: When Miranda's younger sister receives her Hogwarts letter, Miranda finds herself pulled back to a wizarding world that had turned it's back on her. Chapter 4: An Important Author Note. PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Revelations part 1

A/N: Welcome to my first story posted on FanFiction.net! Please read and review!  
  
Miranda was not a normal girl. She couldn't remember the amount of times she'd wished she had a normal life. Of course, being the daughter of one of the most prominent politicians in the British wizarding world would make life unusual for anyone. To add to her consternation, it had been discovered when she was young that, much to her father's chagrin, she was what was known as a Squib, a person born to magical parents but who exhibited no magical abilities. Squibs were very unusual in the magical world, and one being born to two pureblood wizards was nearly unheard of. To be a Squib and the daughter of a man on the move upwards in the Ministry, was a matter of great shame. This had caused her parents' marriage to fall apart, so now at 16 years old, Miranda James (born Miranda Fudge), lived with her mother and step-father in central Washington state, in the United States, far, far away from her father. Her mother, Charity, had met her stepfather, Rob, when he was on a business trip to England when Miranda was 4 years old. They'd moved to the States shortly after, and had begun their lives in the Muggle world.  
  
Miranda was not really that unusual for a 'Muggle' (non-magical) teen. She looked a lot like her mother, with her petite build, blonde hair and clear blue eyes. Sometimes Miranda wondered if she'd gotten anything genetically from her father. She lived a fairly average life, going to high school, playing sports and generally having a good time, but it was difficult to for her to keep such a great secret as the magical world from all her peers, though she hardly remembered it any more. For all her having been born British, and having a British mom (Miranda refused to say 'mum'), Miranda showed little of her heritage. On the surface she seemed like a perfectly well adjusted American teenager. Of course, having such a secret history had made her less than happy inside, and it showed in the way she interacted with her peers. Many just ignored her because of how quiet she was and how rarely she did anything to make herself stick out in the crowd, others just because she was a 'weirdo' who dressed plainly and chose to read during lunch rather than socialize. Those who did get to know her found her personality such an enigma that it was easier to give up trying than force her to open up and become friends.  
  
Miranda did have many personal issues, of course, between her feeling abandoned by her birth father and hiding her limited knowledge of the wizarding world. Though Rob was a great man, and did everything he could for Miranda, and her younger brother and sister (both less than 11 years old) that her mother and he had together, Miranda couldn't help but wonder about her birth father. She wondered how different life would be having grown up with him rather than her mother. 


	2. Revelations part 2

Today, June 21st, being Miranda's sister Mary's 11th birthday, made her think of how her own father hadn't been there on that day. Little did Miranda know how much this day would change her whole family's lives, and affect her own deeply. They had a party with a handful of Mary's friends in the back yard, and with Eric, their little brother, being as much of a pest as possible, which wasn't difficult for a 9-year-old boy when around 11-year-old girls.  
  
That evening, a seemingly average June day in Wenatchee, the town they lived in, the whole family, was relaxing, sitting by the pool. Around 5 o'clock was when everything changed, Miranda would remember that time on that day for as long as she would live. All five of them watched in awe as an owl came flying toward them with a letter in its mouth. They had all heard, and seen, owls when camping the previous summer, but knew they shouldn't be out in broad daylight, and most definitely shouldn't be carrying letters. Seeing an owl with a letter in its beak triggered memories for both Miranda she thought she'd nearly forgotten. Most curiously the bird flew down and perched itself on the armrest of Mary's chair, dropped the letter in her lap, and flew off as quickly as it had come.  
  
Miranda suddenly found herself standing behind her sister, watching over her shoulder as she inspected the envelope. That's not normal paper, Miranda thought to herself, and is that a wax seal? Weird!  
  
She only had a chance for quick look at the seal before her sister broke it, but thanks to her photographic memory, Miranda could remember that it had been an H in a crest, with a lion, a snake, a badger and an eagle.  
  
As she read the letter over Mary's shoulder, Miranda couldn't help but feel a sense of awe, and perhaps a bit of jealousy. She glanced at her mother, and couldn't help but notice how pleased, yet simultaneously shocked, she looked. Her mother caught her eye and gave her a quick, almost imperceptible nod. Her mother stood up, and cleared her throat.  
  
"Rob, Mary, Eric, there's something I've never told you about. Something I should've told all of you about long before Mary ever got her letter. As you, Mary, can tell from the letter, magic and witches and wizards are real, very real. I personally grew up in a family with a great history of magic, also known as a 'pureblood' family. I am a witch, but for your sakes I've never used or mentioned my magic in front you."  
  
All three of them looked utterly floored at this announcement, but her mother continued, looking sternly at Mary and Eric. "I have explained to you two that your father was not the birth father of Miranda, and how despite this she is still, of course, your sister. There is a major difference, though, between your father and Miranda's birth father. Miranda's birth-father was a wizard, in fact one that is very important to the magical community in the United Kingdom."  
  
Eric, always very bright, suddenly put two and two together. "Does that mean Miranda's a witch too?" he asked innocently.  
  
Miranda looked down at her feet, knowing what her mother would have to explain next. "Well," Charity began hesitantly, "on some rare occasions a person, despite being born to wizarding or magical parents, will fail to develop magical abilities. The term commonly used for them is 'Squib'. Miranda is one of these. When a Squib is born to two pureblood families such as her birth father's and mine is a matter of great shame, though it truly depends on the families, and unfortunately both our families felt that way. That's why Miranda and I left him. Soon afterwards I met Rob and we moved with him to the States, and the rest, as they say, is history."  
  
She gave them a moment to take this all in, and then continued again. "It also occurs that witches or wizards are born to 'Muggle', or non-wizarding parents. Having one wizarding parent greatly increases the chances that their child will be a witch or wizard. I've known for years now that Mary was a witch, but I hesitated to tell you," Charity said with a look at Rob, "because I was afraid that it'd be a great disappointment if she wasn't accepted to a wizarding school after making a big deal about it. You've been accepted to my old alma mater, Hogwarts. It's one of the greatest wizarding schools in Europe, and I know you'll just love it there." Charity beamed.  
  
Mary looked very pleased, but a look of great concern suddenly crossed her face. "Europe? But... but... it's so far away! I can't go that far away from all of you!"  
  
Miranda's stomach dropped out as she looked into her mother's eyes, knowing she already had something planned. "You won't have to go far from us. I told you I had a long line of magic family, I've already contacted them and had them make arrangements for us," she explained quickly.  
  
"You mean... move to the United Kingdom?" Rob asked just as quickly. "Move... into the wizarding world? I'm no wizard, what can I expect to do for income? I'm not even a citizen of that country! How can I expect to get—what did you call us—'Muggle' work!"  
  
"Oh, Rob, you won't need to worry about money!" Charity replied placatingly. "Selling our home and the things we can't take with us will give us more than enough to start off with, and get Mary into Hogwarts. My family has agreed to help us, at least until I can find a job myself. Not all jobs in the wizarding world necessarily require use of magic, either, you know. We can open a shop; you don't need magic to count money. I have connections with the Ministry of Magic that can take care of our move 'legally' with the Muggle governments."  
  
Miranda wasn't happy about this idea at all, not one bit. This meant that she would be moving away from everything that she'd known for as long as she could remember. She imagined Mary, Eric and her father would be feeling the same way.  
  
She could especially see her step-father would feel the way she was, both of them being forced into the wizarding world while not being able to do magic. He had, after all, lived in the United States all his life, had been raised in the very town they lived in, and had never been told of the wizarding world before tonight. Her father was a doctor, and she knew giving up his practice, his interaction with his patients, would be difficult for him. Maybe, she thought, he could still help people, treating them in Muggle-ways, or maybe he could learn non-magic ways of treating people with wizarding methods.  
  
Miranda suddenly wondered what she would do herself. She wasn't an adult, and still had 2 years of education left, at least by the United States standards. If they were moving into the magical world, she wouldn't be able to continue her education after she was 18 in the Muggle way, and it would be difficult adjusting to the culture in the United Kingdom. She suddenly felt guilty that she didn't remember more of the time that she had lived in England.  
  
Eric and Mary were both thrilled at the prospect of this new 'magic' world, and becoming part of it, as Miranda soon learned. Charity revealed to Eric that he was a wizard, but still had 3 years until he could enter school for training. Miranda couldn't help feeling more than a bit bitter.  
  
Why do they get to go to Hogwarts and have these great adventures, and take those interesting classes, she thought angrily to herself as she lay crying into a pillow, and eventually go on to have lives in their own right in the magic world? All I get is to be shunned and to be forced to depend on my mother to have any type of life? It just isn't fair. 


	3. Revelations part 3

It just isn't fair! Liz Fudge thought to herself. Being the daughter of the Minister of Magic, Liz (Elizabeth was her full name, but she loathed being called that) was forced to attend many boring and dull events with her father. These events generally involved greeting foreign ministry officials, or other Ministry of Magic authorities. The events involving their own MoM weren't nearly as bad, because the other officials generally brought their own children, who were usually, school- mates of Liz's. These social events were usually more 'shop-talk' about Hogwarts than anything. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to go anywhere but Hogwarts, and pitied anyone who didn't get to go there. Liz grabbed a brush and impatiently ran it through her fine shoulder-length blonde hair. She wasn't totally displeased with her appearance, she thought to herself as she carefully placed clips in her hair. She was wearing a nice sky-blue flowered summer dress under robes of royal blue. The robes matched the shade of her eyes, and it wasn't an unflattering affect. Maybe this time Ron Weasley will notice me, she thought to herself. Liz frowned, wondering at her own lack of skill with attracting men. She figured it must come from being raised by only her father. Her father rarely mentioned her mother, and if asked he would clear his throat and promptly change the subject. It wasn't that he was a horrible parent; in fact the opposite was true. Before she was eleven, and had started at Hogwarts, her father had always made sure to make time for her, despite his full schedule as working for the Ministry. He always took two weeks during the summer to take her on a holiday abroad, and they had dinner together at least six nights of the week during her holidays. But despite all her father's attention, she couldn't help but feel something was missing: namely, an adult female influence. It was hard to be a 16-year-old teenage girl and not have someone older and wiser to confide in. She had friends that she could talk to about some things, of course, but being the Minister for Magic's daughter sometimes strained relations with her schoolmates, especially during the last year when her father had been the one to sack Dumbledore and to put Umbridge in his place. She had immediately renounced her father's actions to her friends, and they understood, after some time, that just because her father said something didn't mean she agreed with it. She'd really wanted to join the DA, but she'd realized after some consideration that she needed that time to study for her OWLs. She had hopes of going to work for the Ministry, hopefully in Muggle Relations, and good OWL scores were a step towards getting that position. As she was just putting finishing touches on her make-up charms, she heard a knock on the door. "Coming!" she called. With a huff she stood up and went to the door. She knew it must be her father, telling her it was time to go. It was indeed her father. He had an expression on his face that she had never seen before, and it suddenly worried her.  
"Liz, dear, there's something I must talk to you about," he said in a soft, consoling voice. "Would you come join me in the parlor?"  
"Don't we have somewhere we're supposed to be going to?" she asked. "Oh... Indeed," Cornelius Fudge mumbled distractedly as he checked his watch. "That can wait. This is much more important."  
She wondered what had her father so worked up, but trusted she'd find out soon. As she entered the parlor, she amazed to see five other people sitting there, waiting expectantly. Cornelius was standing by the door, wringing his hands nervously. "These are the Jameses, Liz. They're, uh, moving to Britain from the states. This is Rob." Liz saw he was a very handsome man in his mid-40s. "This is Eric." A small blonde boy with bright brown eyes, who looked remarkably like Rob, nodded at her. "Mary, who will be starting at Hogwarts this September, the reason they're moving here." Liz nodded at Mary, a brown-haired, blue-eyed, gawky-looking girl. Was I that young when I started? she thought to herself. Cornelius continued abruptly, "And Charity, your mother—lastly we have Miranda, your sister—twin sister to be more exact," he amended very quickly, as if he'd been holding his breath.  
The shock of those last words hit Liz like a ton of bricks. "My mum? My... my twin sister?"  
Upon further inspection Miranda looked just as shocked at that last announcement as she did. Liz was amazed at how identically the expression on Miranda's face reflected her own emotions. Miranda stood and looked at Liz. To Miranda it was a bit like looking through a mirror, but rather than seeing herself, she was seeing what she might call a 'better' version of herself, a 'lighter' version. Miranda had no idea why she quite felt this way. Something about Liz made her feel—no, not just feel, but know she was a very good, very kind person. The sort of person Miranda wished she could be. Liz studied Miranda, frowning slightly. Of course it was like looking through a mirror for her too. It was bit of shock to see a longhaired, Muggle clothes-wearing reflection. She didn't think of the difference as being particularly bad or good. Even to her identical twin Miranda seemed like an enigma, a puzzle that had to be solved, and maybe once she'd solved it, Liz felt, she might know Miranda. It was a shock when she finally heard Miranda speak, because despite their identical appearances, the accents were very different. "You never told me I had another sister, let alone an identical twin! An identical twin witch, at that!"  
Liz suddenly found herself dropping into an empty chair. That last proclamation had floored her. "Are you saying you're not a witch?" she said, dumbfounded.  
Cornelius was the one to reply. "I'll explain. You see, Liz, we discovered just after you were four years old that Miranda was, in fact, a Squib. Your mother and I had a disagreement over what was to happen with her, and we decided to separate, she taking Miranda and me caring for you. Apparently she met Rob soon afterwards, and they moved to the States where he lived, and started their own family, living as Muggles. Now, Mary just found out a few weeks ago that she is to attend Hogwarts, and your mother decided it was time to return to the wizarding world. Their first stop when arriving back in England was to visit us, and to reintroduce the two of you."  
Liz and Miranda sat looking at each other, blue-eyes on blue-eyes. "Why don't I remember you?" they said at the same instant.  
"Oh... er, that was our doing," Charity spoke up. "We erased your memories of each other when we separated. We felt it might be too painful for both of you to, with our separation and all. You two were especially close..."  
"Memory charms?!" they both exclaimed in identical disbelieving tones. They caught each other's eyes and gave slight grins; apparently their identicalness went deeper than just appearance. This is going to be the beginning of a very interesting relationship, Miranda thought to herself. 


	4. An Important Author note

Well...my harddrive went kaput, er it died, and I've completely lost the rest of the story. If anyone's interested in more I'll try writing it again (I'll have time, it being in summer break and all) but I need reviews before I'll do that! Thanks!  
  
The Author 


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